The months of April and May in New England often present a very tricky challenge for the style conscious girl. The weather this time of year is often sporadic and unpredictable. One minute it will be freezing and an hour later it may be 60 degrees. In our very first post for the women of ABB we discussed the necessary basics for this tricky time of year. But when you have all of the basics down what are some new (and affordable) ways to spice your outfit up? Fun and bold accessories this time of year are an important addition to any layered spring outfit.

This spring season my favorite accessory is the silk scarf. Add a patterned scarf to a simple outfit to give it a quick transformation or use the scarf to create a mixture of patterns. Dress up any outfit with the addition of a scarf, whether it be for work or play.

In the early 20th century Hermès introduced the luxurious printed silk scarf to the fashionable women of France. Today in Europe you can find many women roaming the streets with scarves draped around their necks, tied as a headband, or attached to the strap of a bag. Scarves are an easy accessory to throw over any outfit. Many of us dream of owning an Hermès scarf, but as a young professional it can be hard to find the cash for such an extravagant purchase. This is one of the many reasons why I was delighted to stumble upon the fledgling company, Yorscarf.

Yorscarf is a Providence based company that seeks to provide young professional women with a sophisticated product at a fraction of the cost. The company was inspired by one of the founders' experiences living in Paris, France; where she noticed how many French women wore scarves every day. She was shocked to find that the women in America did not wear scarves as a fashionable accessory as much as the women in Europe. Yorscarf helps give customers access to beautiful and affordable scarves that help young women add a new level of sophistication to their look.

The scarves are adorned with beautifully intricate florals and brocades that are all hand painted and designed by the talented textiles designer, Natalia Gemma. There is a wide variety of colors and styles to choose from and almost any girl will be able to find a style to suit her. The fabric itself is very manageable and feels luxurious without getting many wrinkles.

The Yorscarfs are designed with an unconventional shape that makes the scarf easy to fasten and hold form. The Yorscarf has a loop on one end which you can use to pull fabric through and create a wide variety of shapes. The fastening method of a Yorscarf stays in place much easier than tying a standard square scarf. The website shows a few different versions of ties including some of our favorites; the cowl, bow and the rose. You can look at their site to find some tutorial videos.

Thank you to the ladies at Yorscarf for being so open to collaborating with us and also offering the interested ABB reader a discount on purchases for a limited time. If you are interested in the scarves click here to receive 20% off (for a limited time). Also thanks to my gorgeous friend Jill for tromping around the North End with me to photograph the Spring Collection.

Follow ABB on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to stay up to date on the most recent news. Stay tuned to the site for an upcoming interview with Natalia Gemma, the talented textiles designer behind the Yorscarf patterns.

“Are those bears?” I overhear a girl on the street exclaiming to her friend.

They are indeed. The mannequins in the shop's window are one of the notable features that makes the women's boutique, Pinkyotto, stand out on Newbury Street in Boston. The whimsical bear-headed mannequins pop amongst a street lined with typically more conservative displays. The windows at Pinkyotto were what initially enticed me to enter the doors for the first time, about five years ago. Ever since then I have made it a point to stop by the quirky store whenever I am in the area.

This past weekend Claire and I decided to swing by and have some fun trying on the current collection. When we walked in we were instantly excited by the selection of fun, girly patterned dresses, skirts, and coats that filled the racks around the room. How could we choose what to limit ourselves to? I had to take some photos of some of the fun pieces we found.

Pinkyotto is a mecca for Boston women interested in unique, girly, vintage clothes. It has the feeling of a small boutique you would find in some trendy area of New York City (all the other branches of the store are located in New York). The store is filled with a plethora of colors and patterns, so almost any girl can find something her style. Pinkyotto is a great place to find a fun yet easily wearable daytime dress and sometimes a funky work-appropriate one.

One odd thing about the store is that none of the clothes have sizes. To make the experience more authentic to shopping for vintage clothes the company decided to leave sizes off of the clothing. Although it can be weird to try on clothes without knowing the size, I find this attention to the detail of the shopping experience quite refreshing. In some ways it's nice to not get hung up on size and to simply try on what feels right.

Pinkyotto was established in New York City in '05 and has since expanded to three other locations in New York and the one on Newbury. The collection is vintage-inspired and is all hand selected from markets around the world by the Co-Founder/Creative Director, Ryo Liu. Thanks to Meaghan, the Newbury store manager for giving us entirely too much free range with the store. We had a blast! And a big thank you to Claire for letting me snap some photos of her in some amazing dresses.

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One of my new years resolutions is to try and refocus on helping others in the year to come. Although I love writing and illustrating about fashion, lifestyle, and design—it's easy to forget about those in need. For the year of 2014, I'm starting a new semi-regular segment on the blog called “Clothing for a Cause.” Clothing for a Cause will pair fashionably-conscious individuals with clothing-based charities that help those in need. If you are like me, you probably accumulate a lot of clothes over time and generally have plenty to give to those who are less fortunate than yourself. Clothing for a Cause will help provide a list of different resources for where you can donate certain items of clothing.

Free the Girls is an organization I came across a couple of years ago through social media. The non profits' mission is to collect used bras to help rehabilitate women rescued from human trafficking and slavery around the world. The women involved with the Free the Girls program can create a small second hand clothing business by selling the bras to other women within their community—this helps create a sustainable lifestyle that allows for a flexible and profitable work schedule. Women in the program for Free the Girls can make up to 5 times minimum wage, which is almost unheard of in some parts of the world. So far, women from all over have donated over 130,000 bras to help those in need.

Co-founder, Kimbra Langas stands surrounded by donated bras.

There are about 27 million men, women, and children around the world that are still being used in some form of slavery—80% of which are women. There are many great organizations that help people escape from these conditions and assist in integrating them into the community and workforce after they have been rescued. The resources for effective rehabilitation, however, are limited. Fortunately, Free the Girls partners with safe houses and after-care facilities to help provide an opportunity for women rescued from sex trafficking to earn a living and re-enter the world with a strong sense of identity.

Secondhand clothing is a profitable market in many parts of the world, and used bras are a hot commodity (who knew?!). Free the Girls' largest market is in Mozambique and, in February 2013, they launched programs in Uganda, and El Salvador. Many of these rescued women were sold into prostitution at a young age and only now, after being rescued, are able to return to school and receive a proper education. The Free the Girls work model for rehabilitated women allows for a flexible schedule that can accommodate schooling when necessary. It is also a self-sustainable model—once the initial bras have been donated and sold the women can purchase more bras for a competitive wholesale price to help maintain a competitive edge in the marketplace.

There are 58 drop off locations all over the US and Canada. Check out the Free the Girls webpage to find a location near you or find the address where you can ship your bras. Free the girls accepts bras of all varieties-including maternity bras and sports bras.

Keep up to date with future Clothing for a Cause posts right here on abostonblazer.com or on our Twitter and Facebook pages.

One of my favorite aspects of living in New England is the ease in which I can escape and explore a variety of beautiful places. A few weekends ago Alex and I headed out to Newport for a little excursion. One of the few things we did while there was hit up one of the famous Newport mansions-The Breakers.

The Breakers is considered the grandest of the Newport mansions. Once considered a mere summer cottage that belonged to the Vanderbilts, it is now a historic landmark and museum.

Visiting on the beautiful sunny day it was easy to daydream about living a life of grandeur in the early 1900s. I felt as if I had been transported from my small Brookline apartment into the world of The Great Gatsby. Needless to say it was the perfect spot to do a little impromptu shoot.

See more illustrations on my blog or check out A Boston Blazer on Etsy.

Curious how we styled the new illustrations for Fall / Winter 2013? You can find the Paul and Joe Sister coat at ASOS. The button up is from JCrew in the color Pinot Noir. Cozy up in a classic cable knit from H&M. Lastly, find the perfect fall scarf at ModCloth.

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Hidden away near the Beverly Depot on the North
Shore is a fantastic gem – --a
building filled with the studios of artists, artisans, and
designers. This is where I set up my meeting with Meg Erickson of Meg
Erickson Bags,
formerly Two Hippies. At first when I walk in I'm hit with the luxurious scent
of leather and notice the stacks upon stacks of the beautiful material filling
every crevice of the studio. Perhaps it's the art/design geek in me,
but I'm entranced by the colors and
textures that surround me. I could spend hours just looking at the varieties of
leather alone.

Meg is in the back of the room cutting leather with Monica, her
helping hands for the day. We chat for a while as I photograph everything I see: material sheets, newly made bags, jewelry experiments, and
other odds and ends. The studio has huge windows that let in great natural light. It's an ideal
setting for creativity.

Meg Erickson Bags was started around two years ago after Meg visited
a friend, who is a furniture designer, in California. One day, while helping
her friend, they made a trip to the designer's leather supplier. At that moment
Meg fell in love with the material and has been working with it ever
since.

The cornerstone ofMeg’s products isthat they are simple, chic,and at the same time light-weight. The bags are designed without the added weight of zippers, chains, and other unnecessary add-ons, which makes them easy to carry around for a long day on the town.

The simplicity of the bags allows for versatility when paired with outfits. The overall brand has a simple modern feel that would appeal to women who care about style but do not like to over think it. My personal favorite from the studio visit was the crimson and gold, hand-painted clutch pictured below.

The bags are carried all over the U.S. Check out her website to see where you can find them. In Boston you can find Meg's designs at Tess and Carlos, Good on Charles St., Sooki, and Luxe.

Allston
is a vibrant and somewhat grungy area of Boston filled with a mixture
of hipsters, college students, and quirky locals. This area of the
city has some of my favorite places to hang out at (Paradise, Deep
Ellum, and the Silhouette to name a few). Needless to say it inspires
me to do some different things with my style. Recently I had the urge
to make a DIY fringe tee from an old Queen t-shirt. Here I paired it
with a high waisted pencil skirt from Ann Taylor, Joan and David
heels, earrings from a street vendor in India, and sunglasses from
Lookmatic.

These days everyone seems to be gabbing
on about the end of summer. For me, it's a sign that I need to soak
up as much sun as possible before the leaves start falling. A few
weekends ago, inspired by the beautiful day, my friend Lisa and I
took a stroll along the Boston Esplanade. On a nice day in the summer
the Esplanade is full of activity and beautiful scenery. Every
weekend the parks along the Esplanade are swarmed by runners, kids
playing, and even tight-rope walkers. On this sun-filled Sunday
afternoon Lisa was wearing a great painted shirt from Kate Spade that
matched the colors of the Esplanade beautifully, so we decided to
take some photographs. One of my favorite aspects of Lisa's outfit
was the pairing of the bright painterly shirt with the soft textured
lace shorts. I also loved the subtle metallic detail on Lisa's
sunglasses that took on some of the vivid colors surrounding us.
Her outfit was effortless yet interesting and was perfect for
exploring on the hot summer day.

Bold stripes are among one of this season’s biggest trends. Last year when Marc Jacobs and Moschino unveiled their bold Spring/Summer 2013 collections they created a stripe frenzy. The runways were filled with elegant clothing adorned with the bold pattern. Needless to say, I’m slightly obsessed. The pattern has been worn throughout history by classic beauties such as Coco Chanel and Audrey Hepburn and was also a favorite of the artist Pablo Picasso. There are not many other patterns that have remained as elegant and timeless.

There is a wide variety of ways to work stripes into your wardrobe—compatible with any style from punk to prep. Since I moved to Boston almost two years ago I have noticed an overwhelming amount of nautical stripes. While I love the preppy nautical look, this season my favorite is bold black and white stripes. The high contrast pattern is an easy way to add a sleek and graphic punch to an outfit. Pair it with some simple basics or mix the the stripes with a soft floral pattern.

If you don’t have any black and white stripes in your closet, now is the perfect time to scour stores for the perfect piece. Some of my favorite finds of the season include this ASOS mini dress, this Marc Jacobs purse, and this Express blouse. This trend will carry over into the Fall season so consider getting a stripped blazer for slightly colder weather.

Three times a year the small town of Brimfield, MA is swarmed with visitors scouring for unique and inexpensive items for their home, wardrobe, or shop. Many retailers from the likes of Kate Spade NY to Ralph Lauren have been known to attend, hoping to find unique pieces for their stores. I’ve been hearing about this famous antique show since moving to Boston, so this past weekend I decided to go check it out.

Even on its last day the show went on for what seemed like miles and was slightly overwhelming to take in all at once. Most of the great stuff gets scooped up on the first days so if you decide to go I would suggest taking the time to head there early on the first day. If you are coming from far away, the show’s website provides information for accommodations.

There was an interesting mix of weird, creepy items (doll heads) and beautiful, rustic pieces. Because of the sheer variety and scale of the show there is something for everyone. Some of my favorite pieces included a crystal leopard bangle, a dresser with an Audrey Hepburn illustration, and a large 48 star American flag.

The Brimfield antique show is only scheduled to run twice more in 2013: July 9-14 and Sept 3-8. Stop by and check it out!

In Boston, style is often forgone to cope with below freezing temperatures, uneven sidewalks, and long commutes. Even as spring starts to blossom, a Boston lady has to know how to deal with a sudden drop in temperature or torrential downpour at any moment. I think there are many lessons to be learned from a Boston girl’s savvy commuter style that can work for any city girl.

Inspired by the classic row-houses of Beacon Hill, photographer Lorna Stell helps showcase four simple tips for dressing stylishly (and comfortably) for the city commute.

1) The Trench Coat

An important basic for any commuter’s wardrobe is a classic trench coat. The tan color matches everything and the material helps shield you from wind and rain throughout the spring season. Today the classic trench—originally introduced in England by Burberry—has been adapted by many stores and is easy to find for any budget. The pleated trench modeled in this shoot is from H&M for under $100.

2) Add a “Pop” Piece

Give your outfit a focal point by adding a pop of color and/or pattern. Having a focal point will help emphasize certain areas of your figure and can give your outfit a flattering shape. A pop piece will also give your basics a new look and feel so that you can wear them for different occasions without it being noticeable. Here I added a green dress from Anthropologie to give the classic trench a pop of color.

3) Safety in Layers

During the long winter months in Boston it can be easy to forget about the cute dresses and skirts in your closet. Although it is starting to warm up, often times wind and rain will stop the dresses from leaving storage. Sweater stockings provide a necessary extra layer to help ease the transition. Pictured here are sweater stockings from Hue. We recommend every wardrobe contains at least four neutral pairs for the most versatile use (black, white, brown/tan, and grey).

4) Comfortable and cute footwear

When it comes to footwear I do not agree wholeheartedly with the saying “style over comfort.” For most girls, I recommend heels with a low to mid height and thicker heel. When buying shoes make sure to always keep in mind the uneven sidewalks and how you are going to feel walking on them throughout the day. Style and comfort need to meet somewhere in the middle and neither should be completely disregarded. A 5 inch stiletto may look amazing in a photo but it will not look good if you are stumbling around throughout the day. The best accessory for any outfit is confidence and shoes should be worn with it! I am particularly fond of these nude and black Franco Sarto heels, pictured above.